


Tea of Weeds

by 800th



Category: Club Penguin
Genre: Character Death, Gen, Minor Character Death, Violence, there's a mafia lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-10 08:08:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17422124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/800th/pseuds/800th
Summary: There's been a drought of missions as of recent.





	1. Concerns

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to hell. Take a seat. I'm getting paid 50¢ to write this. I am so unfathomably broke that, hell yeah, I said yes.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gary, Ace, and Jet Pack Guy have a discussion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The pacing is a bit off in this chapter, but rest assured that this is for plot purposes and that the other chapters will be quite a bit more lengthy.

“I can’t believe I have to say this out loud. No, Jet. Apples and peas are _not_ acceptable pizza toppings. You weren’t raised right,” If they were quite honest, Ace had never wanted to be this far away from another agent since G had sent them off of the side of Ski Hill with a sled made of garbage. To them, however, Jet Pack Guy was committing a much worse crime.

“They are. You’re just mad because I’m not lactose intolerant, and I can actually eat pizza. _Normal_ pizza, that is,” As if he’d already decided that he won the argument, Jet crossed his flippers. Ace couldn’t see much past his sunglasses, but they had a feeling that his eyes were rather smug.

“You say that like it’ll stop me.” Matching their temporary rival’s expression, they also crossed their flippers. “Besides, normal pizza? You’re nasty. You’d eat another penguin on pizza if it was legal, you crusty little worm,”

“You’re right. I would. Stay in your lane, or it’ll be you,” Jet fought back the smile that tried to form. If he was quite honest, he loved days such as this. He also absolutely loved to win against Ace in fun little arguments.

“No, you won’t.” Through the intensity of the playful ‘discussion’, neither agent noticed the sound of the door to the command room opening up. His eyes half-lidded, G gave Jet Pack Guy a side glance (despite how he literally couldn’t see him since, well, glasses don’t work that way) as he walked to the meeting table, holding a cup of coffee. “Do I really have to remind you two that cannibalism is, in fact, against the rules?”

“You’re no fun. Maybe I’m allergic to everything else and I have to eat penguins. What about that?” Curious as to what the scientist was up to, Ace hopped up into one of the large chairs next to him as he began to spread out whatever blueprints and sketches he was working on. “Anyways, what are you up to?”

“Then, that would be a rather unfortunate life. It’s good that you aren’t forced to be a cannibal. On another note, I decided to come out here while working on blueprints. Being in one room for too long can be pretty sickening, if you ask me,” He tilted his head side to side, popping his neck a couple times.

However, in a spontaneous, impulsive act of defiance against the sleep deprivation that plagued his body, G decided to retaliate. Picking up the cup of coffee right next to him, he tipped it to his mouth, practically chugging the entire thing within a few seconds. Of course, being boiling hot and steaming, his throat burned and singed, as if the remnants of a flame decided to take their final bows before their departure. Honestly, it was quite impressive, as he didn’t even bother to flinch.

The coffee didn’t come into effect immediately, of course, but he returned to work within a few moments after setting the now-empty mug next to him, the noise of the porcelain colliding with the table being enough to forcibly pull both Jet and Ace out of their shock.

“G, with all due respect.. Are-- Are you alright?” Jet furrowed his brow, unsure of what exactly to say. “Have you slept at all within the past few days?”

Anyone who knew Gary the Gadget Guy knew that he didn’t get nearly enough sleep, preferring the strength of caffeine to keep him moving. Often times, he would go days while refusing to sleep. When it came to sleep, he was a very stubborn penguin. Ironically, however, if he learned that another penguin has the exact same sleep issues as he did, he would go on a several hour rant about the health problems such a problem could cause, power point presentation and bibliography included.

“Quite peachy, in fact.” It was almost as if G had been avoiding the question on purpose. He didn’t quite enjoy actually addressing the issue, that was absolutely barbaric. “It is quite off topic, but.. You two have noticed the drought of missions, correct? Out of curiosity, what do you think it means?”

He was right. Hardly anything had happened within the past couple of months, and it was worrying to everyone in the Elite Penguin Force.

The air now a bit stuffy with their unsaid anxieties, both Ace and Jet gave each other a bit of a side glance, as if daring the other to speak. After all, it’s not like they could occupy their time with arguments over pizza toppings and pretend nothing was up forever.

“I don’t know what it means.” Jet was the first to answer. He waddled to the table, resting an elbow on it. After a short moment of pondering, he continued. “Herbert could be planning something, and we have no way of knowing without any sort of evidence. I guess that all we can do right now is prepare for something, even if we don’t know what,”

“Interesting. You certainly make some good points. How about you, Ace? What do you think?” G tilted his head to the right a tad bit, his eyes wandering to over Ace.

The back of their neck felt somewhat hot. Of course, it wasn’t like G was forcing them to say anything, but they were worried about what would happen if they spoke their thoughts aloud. Were they going to sound stupid?

“I.. Well, I…” They paused for a brief moment. “I’ve been worried something is going to happen. Herbert is never this quiet. If he was planning something, he’d have bragged to us at one point or said something to throw us off. He likes to deter suspicion, but he hasn’t done anything,” they noted. Of course, they weren’t quite finished, but they were curious as to what the other agents thought.

“You’re quite right. This whole situation is quite... peculiar,” G had added on, thinking it all over.

“No, but what I’m trying to get at is.. Well.. It’s kind of dumb, but.. Do you think something happened to Herbert? Like, I get he’s a huge polar bear that can kill a bunch of penguins in a heartbeat, but.. Due to the whole ‘I’m a vegetarian’ thing, he hasn’t hurt us. He hasn’t ever shown intentions of flat out attacking us, he always plans some weird and complicated way. I’m pretty sure he operates the same with pretty much anything else,” Ace allowed their thoughts to run a tad bit wild.

At first, Jet looked as if he were going to say something. Shortly after, he closed his mouth, not wanting to add on before G could offer his standpoint. However, he reclaimed his chance when he noticed that that he had stopped sketching out his blueprints, too deep in thought at the moment to really say anything.

“Are you sure? I mean.. Herbert’s a giant polar bear. I’m pretty sure he can make it through anything if he really wants to. He’s one hell of a bear to get rid of, that’s for sure,”

“Yeah. But.. Herbert doesn't just shut up because he feels like it. That’s really one of the only conclusions I can come to,”

“Ace does make a good point.” G interrupted, resting his head atop of his flippers. “Herbert is quite a vile soul, but he hasn’t attempted to physically harm us. During the blackout, he could have killed us. It’s a terrible thought, but he had the chance to dispose of us right then and there, instead choosing to freeze us. Of course, that caused its own issues, but it shows that Herbert does at least somewhat have morals. If anything were to try and hurt him, though, I am unsure of whether he would have a fight or flight response,”

“What does this mean for us, then?” Jet tilted his head to the side a bit, a habit he’d picked up from Rookie. “The chances of something happening to Herbert are really small. I doubt something happened, but I guess that we really can’t rule it out...”

“All I can say is that it just means we have to be ready for anything.” With that, G stood from his chair, holding his mug. He gathered his blueprints together in a sort of messy roll, waddling over towards the door. “It was nice talking with you, agents. I’ll certainly keep this discussion in mind,”

Before they could say anything else, G was gone, the door closing behind him. Ace stood, stretching themselves out a bit. After hearing their neck pop a couple times, they turned towards Jet.

“A bit off topic, but.. Did you see what he was sketching out?”

“I did not. What was it?”

“It looked like a sled. I’m telling you right now, I am not going to be the one to test that out,”

“Understandable,” Jet nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! The pacing is odd in this chapter, but rest assured it will be better in upcoming ones.


	2. 1.5 - The Colors of Gary's World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gary sees the world in colors.

Gary always had a routine when it came to his projects. As soon as an idea popped into his head, he’s write it down on the nearest surface. In case of this, he always kept pens on him. Thus, ideas would often find themselves scrawled in rather messy handwriting in the corners and margins of whatever paper he had with him, Gary sometimes even resorting to writing in (his own) books. 

Whenever he found the time, if he could really feel an idea, he’d start on blueprints. This is where a lot of his ideas would be tossed out, as he would only focus on the ideas that he believed were at least a little bit useful, whether it be to the EPF or the daily life of penguins in general. However, it was to be noted that he was rather forgiving with design uses.

Even less of them made it off of paper. Overall, if he were to have a hundred ideas, probably around fifteen would form into actual, physical prototypes. He spent a lot of time building and correcting them, occasionally working on smaller projects. Sometimes, he’d even challenge himself to create something useful within five tries. 

Scanning over blueprints like clockwork, he started taking notes. He wrote what he’d need to create his current project, what techniques he was planning on using. The crimson ink of his pen continued to flow, the ever-so-faint scratching noises sounding to Gary like they were performing the beginning song in a symphony of creativity. 

As reckless and untidy as his life seemed, it all fit into a routine of colors. It really only made sense to Gary alone, as he found rather quickly that trying to explain how purple a specific invention was could be somewhat confusing. Eventually, he had decided that he’d keep a journal and fill it in with colors as the day progressed to see if he could spot a pattern. However, after realizing that the colors he saw couldn’t exactly be drawn, he decided to scrap the idea altogether. 

If he was quite honest, he saw everything in colors. He heard colors, smelled colors, tasted colors. It was a part of everyday life for him, and he found it quite a shock when other penguins weren’t wired quite the same. Sure, they might think of snow as more of a blue word. Fish were more commonly noted as yellow or blue. Music was a sort of purple.

Gary believed that colors were the reason he was so successful in his field. He used colors to categorize his projects and inventions in a way that wasn’t understandable to other penguins. He could find something so alike about an old, repurposed shopping cart and a sled that they would both be in a greyish green set of projects, despite how neither of them had anything in common.

When describing the odd quirk, his favorite thing to talk about was Wednesday, as in the day of the week. Wednesday was both a color, yet not a color at the same time. It was a bluish green with very faint white speckles, sort of like stars. However, the best way to describe it was to say that it was to be viewed behind a wall of black. However, the black was a separate entity and the two didn’t overlap, but at the same time, they did. He had no idea why Wednesday was so different, as the other days of the week were closer to normal colors.

So, there he sat, scribbling away. While an empty monologue about the colors he saw spoke in the back of his mind, he was mostly dedicated on his project. The yellow sounds of the red pen combined with the purple hum of machinery soothed him, forming a song that he associated with working. 

It didn’t have a particular rhythm, it was just a mix of purple and yellow. They never touched, never interacted. The colors felt worlds away, yet they put it aside to create a harmony of invention. In this particular moment, it sounded like it was mostly yellow. The purple was more behind the yellow, playing like a shadow. The ‘music’ made him feel at peace, his focus shifting back and forth between the colors and his notes.

This was how Gary spent most of his nights. He would stay at the EPF until some time very late in the night, when no one else was around. The agents had retired to their igloos for the night, most of the lights being off. On occasion, if he was lucky enough, the Director would possibly show up for a visit. However, this was only on very quiet nights when no one had stayed late whatsoever.

His thoughts paused for a moment as Gary tilted his head from side to side. He set his pen down, the yellow fading once his writing stopped. During his break, he became focused on the purple hum of machinery, as it now seemed a tad bit more pronounced without the yellow stealing the spotlight. 

If he was quite honest, he found these thoughts kind of funny. He had created a bit of drama between colors, characterizing them as if they were living, breathing penguins themselves. He had always wondered what the true embodiments of the colors scattered within his brain would look like, as most of them weren’t even colors. 

He felt as if red would be quite a smooth talker. Red was a sort of refined color, looking like calligraphy and black lace outlines. Red would be the type to lie about whatever they fancied, and it would work out.

Brown was an odd one to think about. The color was more concentrated in the middle, the middle of it being so intense although the same hue as everything else. He felt like brown would be--

Everything came to a screeching halt in his mind. A harsh turquoise seemed to rip the purple to shreds and intrude, causing him to impulsively hop from his chair and hide beneath his desk. The noise he heard from outside of the room sounded like a crash, but not the type that was the normal, day-to-day Oh, Rookie must have dropped something or Dot seems to have lost all of the hangers she was holding. It was deep, almost violent. 

Gary continued to hide, tilting his head upwards to ensure his breathing was absolutely silent. He didn’t like to be narcissistic in any sort of way, but it was a no brainer that if any penguin was going to be kidnapped, it’d be him. Gary was the brains of every operation, and the EPF would practically crash the struggle bus without him.

He closed his eyes, pondering the situation. Should he prepare to fight? He wasn’t much of a fighter, but it was worth a shot. Then again, he did know every single route out of the EPF. He could just make a run for it, even if a majority of the lights were off.

“Damn it, that’s not good,” Gary’s nerves seemed to calm almost immediately. No, he wasn’t alone, of course, but it wasn’t any sort of intruder. No one had come by in the hopes of causing any sort of damage. It was only Ace, who was staying after hours.

After taking a moment to calm down, he crawled from beneath his desk. He noticed that in the heat of the moment, he had knocked all of his papers aside, all of his notes scattered across the floor. However, that wasn’t his main concern. He turned, walking out and turning the light in the hallway on.

“Ace, what are you doing here?” He fixed his askew glasses, grateful that they weren’t broken. “What happened?”

It was rather self explanatory. Ace had been holding a few boxes, the contents now scattered across the floor. It wasn’t due to the boxes being too heave, though. Ace was a very strong penguin, evident on how they carried four penguins to safety with ease. They had tripped over something, that something being a spiral notebook.

“Ah, that’s where I left that notebook.” Gary lamented. “I’m sorry, here..” He picked it up, holding it underneath his flipper as he offered his other flipper to Ace.

“No biggie. I’ll clean this all up. I was just staying afterwards to move these boxes to storage, they’ve been out for a bit. Anyways.. What are you doing out this late?” Ace began to pick up the mess, Gary setting the notebook aside and stooping down to help them. 

“Ah, I like to stay late. It’s quiet and I can focus better,”

“I can see that I certainly didn’t help with that. Either way, thanks. Anyways, what are you working on? You seemed really into those blueprints, earlier,”

“Please promise you won’t get mad,”

“I won’t,”

“A sled. Are you mad?” Gary held back a smile.

“As long as I’m not this round’s test subject, no, I’m not,” Ace didn’t bother, a relaxed (albeit a tad bit afraid) smile decorated their face.

“That wasn’t the full intention. You see, I was going to have you go with Jet Pack Guy and Rookie, if you were okay with it. Also, you weren’t going to have to use the test run. I’m going to make sure that Ski Hill isn’t open to the public for the duration you’re up there, is all,” To say that Gary had planned everything out was an understatement. He had drawn maps, written paragraphs, and even prepared a few speeches. 

“I guess that’s better than last time.. Well, you’re the smarty-pants here. What makes this sled so special?” 

“It involves much more planning and technology than the sled you tested all those years ago. It isn’t going to be available to the general public, but it is much more durable and is intended to be used on more rugged pathways, making it quite ideal for rescues and explorations,” Gary spoke rather fast, having already prepared his explanation for when he proposed the idea. 

“Okay, that’s.. Pretty cool, actually. You’ve got some pretty good ideas in that noggin of yours, G,” After they finished cleaning, Ace stacked the boxes back up, picking them up with ease. 

“Thanks-- Uhm.. Are you sure you’ve got that? I can take a box if need be,” 

“Nah, I’ve got it. Although, if it’s not a bother, could you please turn the lights on on the way to storage?”

Gary didn’t answer, only nodding as he began to lead the way. The beginning of the walk was rather silent, but it was a comfortable silence. They were quite well acquainted, not finding each other’s presence that awkward. However, after a bit, Ace had decided to speak up.

“Hey.. G? I’m sorry if this sounds a bit dumb, but.. Are you sure you’re okay here when you’re alone?” They rounded a corner, giving Gary a moment to think.

“No, no question is a dumb one. Although, I don’t find it too awful being here alone,” Gary answered, flipping a light switch.

“I mean.. Ever since the Blackout, we’ve all been on edge, of course. I mean.. I know it’s scary to think about, but you’re a prime target when it comes to stuff like that. They take out the one who can figure stuff out as fast as you do, and they’re set. I’m kind of worried about you, is all,” Ace didn’t want to make it sound like Gary was in one of those damsel in distress situations, but, well, he was. 

“I completely understand your concerns. However, I’ve taken precautions ever since. The doors are more secure. I can assure you, nothing will get in to harm me or any other agents. It’s alright, I promise.” Gary opened a door. “Also, stairs about two feet in front of you, be careful,” he warned.

“Thanks. Also, that’s good to know. However, if you ever feel like something’s really up, just say something. Alright?” 

“Alright,”

“Promise?”

“I promise,”

To Gary, everything about Ace was a light, fuzzy blue. However, they were the only penguin in Gary’s world of colors to really change. At first, they were a quiet yet hopeful agent. They were casual, yet something special. They were a sort of orange.

However, time began to shape Ace into something more. They experienced pain, fear, and despair. Their pure motivation helped them succeed, and their persistence was one of the things keeping the EPF afloat. Ace was a mighty fine agent, and Gary felt as if he were quite honored to work with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to imagine that Gary has something called color synesthesia. 
> 
> Anyways, this was just a bit of a filler. Any time you see a .5, it'll be a character based chapter.


	3. A Teacher Still Has Much To Learn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sensei receives a rude interruption during his meditation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, a chapter where some OCs show up! However, after this, they won't really pop in for a while.
> 
> Either way, a quick warning! This chapter has descriptions of violence, but they aren't nearly as bad as they will be later on in the story. If this kind of stuff is bad with you, I don't recommend finishing.

Behind Sensei’s eyelids, he found himself becoming familiar with the static galaxy of visual snow that formed every time he’d close his eyes to meditate. He was at a state of peace, the usual commotion of practices occurring in the Dojo absent due to the sunset announcing the closing of practice time. On occasion, a student may stay a bit later for individual practice and training. However, today was not one of those days.

The wind outside grew a bit in intensity. It was certainly noticeable, but Sensei never found the wind to be intrusive enough to pull him out of his meditative state. He enjoyed the sounds, as they were quite full of life to him. In fact, to him, the wind symbolized life and its beauty.

Just as quickly as he had noticed it, Sensei found his mind being unable to escape the wind. It wasn’t distracting in any means, but he couldn’t avert his focus from it. The soft howls of the breeze seemed to tell a tale to him, causing his mind to try to decipher the story.

Sensei understood the elements like no other. While he specialized in fire, water, and snow, much of his wisdom took root in the words of the winds. The winds had given him guidance in his many years of training, speaking a language that only he could understand. He had tried to teach the ways of the winds, but it was a much more different field than Card Jitsu. He found rather quickly that even the most experienced of his ninjas had difficulties.

The tones of the wind were rather smooth, today. The trees outside of the Dojo gave a gentle rustle, the gentle sounds quite soothing to Sensei. He listened further, trying to understand what the wind wanted him to know.

His focus was entirely on the wind. He listened to each individual change, each rustle of the leaves. He was calm, his nerves at ease. Nothing could bring him down. At the moment, he could feel nothing but peace--

_What’s that noise?_

Sensei opened his left eye. His meditation had been interrupted, and he was curious as to why. All he knew was that water was running, and it was loud enough to cause a distraction. As he stood up to investigate, he began to wonder what was the reasoning behind the interruption.

 _The garden, it’s coming from the garden._ Sensei picked up his cane, walking over to the door along the side of the wall. The door was different than the one that students would enter from, being a traditional sliding door. It wasn’t exactly hidden, but it looked so much like the wall that many students just didn’t notice it.

The garden was a place that Sensei liked to go to calm his nerves. He wasn’t exactly the type to be irritated, but not even Sensei was immune to stress. It was his personal garden, branching off from the Dojo. It was mostly filled with plants, but there was a pond.

 _The water had to be coming from the pond,_ he thought as he slid the door open. However, he was unsure as to what could have caused something to malfunction. He often checked on the structural integrity of the small waterfall linked to the pond, and it had passed his inspections every time.

Walking into the garden, the first thing he noticed was that the waterfall’s usual calm flow had strengthened. What was once a gentle water flow was now violently rushing, disturbing the pond with an endless stream of ripples. The few fish in the pond were clearly feeling its effects, the ripples literally shaking them back and forth like they were salt shakers.

“Oh, my..” Sensei quietly whispered to himself, making his way over to the waterfall. He stooped down, still holding onto his cane as he began to inspect the damage and try to find a cause. Whatever it may be, he wanted to fix it as soon as possible for the wellbeing of his fish.

He slowly moved his flipper down the side of the stacked rocks. The stones felt a tad bit jagged, their random formation a part of the design. They seemed rather normal, no damage visible. He continued to look, adamant on finding the issue.

 _Ah, there it is._ He wondered how he didn't see it before. The valve that made the waterfall run like a faucet was turned all the way on, much farther than it normally would be. He returned it to its setting, standing back up as the water began to calm. However, he found that something just didn't add up.

The waterfall was created by Gary, himself. Of course, even Sensei knew that Gary's projects had a tendency to fail. However, once he had it down, they would be some of the most durable things imaginable. He just wouldn't be satisfied until every minor kink was flattened out and fixed.

Sensei had no doubt that Gary wouldn't have too much trouble with a faucet system. It wasn't very complicated, and it was a rather new addition. He continued to study the waterfall, trying to figure it out. Nothing was too close to it, meaning that nothing had pushed the handle. Did the weather have something to do with it? It was a tad bit colder, perhaps--

For a moment, the first thing Sensei noticed was that his vision was blurry for a little bit. The shock to his body didn’t register right away, until he realized that he was down on the pavement in the garden. He thought that he must have fallen for a moment, before the pain finally registered along his side.

“Damn, I missed,” Someone not too far from him muttered, a deep albeit feminine voice laced with vice. Sensei turned, quickly returning to his feet. However, he had quite a bit of difficulties while not aided by his cane, which was lying askew several feet away.

The intruder was a very large penguin, that being the first thing Sensei noticed about her. He couldn’t see too much due to the shadows from all of the trees in the garden, although the rapidly nearing night sky certainly wasn’t much help, either. She seemed to be wearing a jacket of some sorts, but that was all he could really see, other than the fact she was holding a hockey stick.

“I meant to hit your head,” Before Sensei could react, she began to move towards him once more. He quickly dodged the blow, retrieving his cane and extending it out in front of him.

“I do not have any desires to put up a fight, young grasshopper.” Sensei didn’t move, locking eyes with the intruder. “I do not understand your motives, but they are of wicked heart. I--”

“I’ll put you in a fuckin' nursing home, old man!” The intruder interrupted, rushing to take another swing at him. Due to Sensei’s quick thinking, however, she found that the direct path between the hockey stick and Sensei being his cane. It shook and struggled from all of the force, but Sensei’s persistence did not falter.

“You are a penguin of cruel heart and vile mind! This will not go unnoticed by fate. One day--”

“Can it! Elements this, fate that, you’re boring.” She took another few swings at him, Sensei blocking them each time. “Damn, you’re good. You aren’t going to last forever, though. Cards aren’t going to help you now,”

The stranger continued to fight, Sensei relying on defensive strategies while attempting to find a way to gain the upper hand. However, as he continued moving back, he started getting closer and closer to one of the walls. He had no time to talk right now, his focus entirely on minimizing the chance of any sort of injuries.

He was stuck. He was too occupied to just vanish, and he couldn’t avert his focus whatsoever. He had no idea who this penguin was, but he knew that she most certainly had a strong spirit. Her heart was set on hurting Sensei, but he would not allow her to succeed.

“Why are you so adamant with your intentions to harm me, young one?” Sensei used his best authoritative tone, a voice that was hardly heard from him. He stared her deep in the eyes, his back colliding with the wall, serving as a grim reminder of what could very well be his fate in this challenge.

“You don’t need to know,” she had barked. In an attempt to throw him off, she pulled back the Hockey stick, which was now showing signs of breakage in her flippers. The harsh splinters jabbed into her, an itchy, stinging sensation forming from within. However, her pride refused to accept any sort of weakness, any sort of pain. She had a mission to fulfill, and she would not let her focus falter.

Everything happened so quickly, Sensei’s assailant nearly got whiplash. In the brief moment that she had allowed while having her hockey stick down, Sensei decided he’d take his chance. Placing one foot atop of the stick, the stranger’s strength began to work against her. Sensei placing his flippers on her shoulder, he was up in the air before the other penguin could even attack again. In the last moments, he had used his cane to knock the hockey stick from her flippers.

“Impressive, hm?” Sensei put on quite a bit of a show, both flippers holding the tops of both his cane and the hockey stick. “You possess the spirit of the noble lion, and I can sense the great power within your soul. However, if you feel you can use the power inside of you for the wicked world of pure cruelty, you are not correct. You have much to learn,”

“They warned me you’d be a tough one,” The stranger didn’t move. She only stared him down, noting the outline of his silhouette in the cold, darkening garden. However, she could say she enjoyed a challenge. Sensei was a worthy opponent, she’d admit that.

“Ah, ‘they’, you say? You do not work alone?” Sensei furrowed his brow, the winds slowly beginning to pick up once more. However, the other penguin did not reply. She only stood still, remaining silent as she stared Sensei down. With that, Sensei began to return to the inside of the Dojo. “You have much to learn, young grasshopper,”

Sensei was not afraid of turning his back on an opponent. Now that he expected danger, that penguin could not catch him by surprise. He had the upper hand, as he now possessed her weapon. He was too swift to lose to any surprise physical attacks. He knew he should be ready for anything, and he felt as if he was.

What he didn’t expect, however, was for that ‘anything’ to be very loud, sudden popping sounds from within the Dojo. His attention averted for the most brief of moments, his guard crumbled as if it were the most brittle of snow expected to hold an entire palace. Even Sensei still had much to learn, himself.

Sensei collided with the rough, wooden floor before he even had a chance to react. His flippers were pinned behind him, both his cane and the hockey stick escaping him once more. Just as easily as he had escaped the battle, he had lost all the same.

“I knew I’d have to save your ass." a younger penguin had said. Sensei could clearly see this one, however. He was a light, frosty blue, similar to the sky around the mountains. He wore a dark red hoodie with the hood pulled up and covering most of his face and head, concealing his identity otherwise. His flippers remained in the pocket for a brief moment, before he decided to draw one out. "Poppers, they're my favorite," He had said, extending his flipper out to reveal the little white fireworks that would snap when they hit something hard enough.

Sensei couldn’t say anything, as much as he wanted to. This was due to how he felt something wrap around his throat, quickly tightening.

“Really? A green belt? That’s just mean, dude. And, pretty ironic,” the icy penguin spoke. Sensei was in no position to struggle. He had lost due to his own assumptions, and he believed it was at least a bit fair. However, his focus averted once more, as what he believed to be a belt around his throat tightened. He couldn’t breathe, and nothing he could do could stop it.

* * *

Taking a sip of his coffee, G set down a sheet of paper. “Agents, there’s been an incident at the Dojo, and we have been called in for investigation,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cliffhanger. What about that, huh? 
> 
> I don't like the way I wrote this chapter, honestly. However, everything fits together a bit more with the next chapter.


	4. A Library Within Thorns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The EPF investigates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Injury description ahead, be careful!! It's nothing major, but still can be upsetting.

Stairs were an enemy to Rookie. He didn’t like anything about them. To him, they were just big, scary rows of stones that he would most likely fall off of. He didn’t like thin stairs, he didn’t like wide stairs. He _especially_ didn’t particularly favor moving a bit too far and accidentally skipping a step. Overall, stairs were about the third biggest thing Rookie didn’t like, behind black licorice and short sleeved jackets.

Today was a special case, though. As he awkwardly hobbled his way up the (many, many) stairs to the Dojo, he seemed to have some sort of special, motivated aura to him. A rare occasion, he was quiet. It almost felt like he wasn’t there, as by now he’d probably be going on and on about some story from years ago to the EPF. Instead, he looked to the sky as he walked with a hopeful eye. It was odd, yet peaceful.

“Hey, Rook? Is something up?” Dot decided to finally ask. She chose to ignore the sigh of relief from G, as that meant he didn’t have to. If Dot was honest, she was glad he didn’t have to ask. He wasn’t too great with talking about emotions. “You’re never this quiet. Did you run out of stories, or something?” She couldn’t help but offer a smile, glancing over to him.

The two were behind everyone else. It wasn’t that they were very slow, but Dot had decided to walk with Rookie. She knew he always had trouble with stairs, and she felt that it would be better if someone were there in the case of him falling. G was about ten steps ahead. However, Ace and Jet Pack Guy had decided to have a race to the top, and by the looks of it, Ace was winning.

“Oh, uuh..” Rookie paused, feeling a tad bit odd after not speaking for so long. “It’s just.. I want to keep my focus!! I’m going to do my best to help figure this out, and I don’t want to be thinking of stories all day. We’re doing this for Sensei, after all. He needs us, and I’m going to help him!!”

Ah, there was the energy. It seemed to bubble inside him like a freshly opened can of soda, the little _snap_! of the tab included. He was a motivated penguin, there was no doubt about it. He was rather fitting for this mission, as his energy would most certainly lighten the mood. A bit more energetic, they continued to make their way up the steps.

“Alright. Everyone’s here,” G quickly glanced around him, counting the four other penguins that needed to be present in the Dojo courtyard. Due to the nature of the attack they had caught wind of, they had decided to change their style. Rather than appearing one by one on their own time, they travelled as a group to deter the chance of any sort of attacks. Their mission would be much cleaner that way, anyways.

“Oh, I was meaning to ask.. How are we going to do this? Aren’t there a bunch of penguins training?” Ace shifted their weight from one foot to the other, turning one flipper upside down as they spoke.

“The Dojo is closed for the next few days, following the events of last night. Before we investigate, we’ll ask questions to figure out what we need to look for. The Dojo only has one camera that was reactivated after the shutdown of the PSA, and I will review the footage after our investigation,” G noted.

“You planned this out pretty quickly, huh?” Dot asked, recalling how G had announced their mission only about an hour and a half ago.

“Indeed,” G waddled over to the door, placing his flipper on the knob. He took a deep breath, before turning the knob and opening the door.

The Dojo looked pretty close to what it always looked like. However, the agents couldn’t help but notice the rather eerie vibes it gave off. They quietly walked inside, not wishing to disturb the peace. Everything felt so ridiculously off, even though it was mostly the same.

“It’s.. quiet,” Jet noted. He was a rather frequent visitor to the Dojo, never passing up a chance to sharpen his skills. He was most certainly right, the absence of the usual thirty to fifty penguins practicing at once making it eerily quiet. Without them, it really made the agents wonder how Sensei could possibly be patient enough to deal with that many students at once.

“Welcome.” Sensei looked up from his spot on top of the pale green mat. “Thank you for coming, agents,” Something about his tone was rather foreign, quite a bit more serious than the normal, mellow voice that he would use when teaching his students.

“Ah, Sensei. It is good to see you’re alright,” Jet was the first to speak, carefully walking over to him. He didn’t want to move too fast, as he felt that Sensei had already likely been frightened enough.

That’s what made everything about this so odd. Of all penguins to be attacked, it was Sensei. By the sound (and looks) of it, whoever they were, they got in some pretty good hits. Sensei wasn’t showing too much as far as injury, but a ruffle in his feathers where some had likely been pulled was visibly lining his left shoulder.

“I’m alive, at least. The whole ordeal was certainly… interesting,” Sensei put a gruff emphasis on _interesting_.

“Alright. If it isn’t a bother, would you please tell us the details of the attack? We need to know what we’re looking for,” G already had a notepad and his trademark red pen out, ready to take notes.

“Did-- Did he have that the entire time?” Rookie whispered as he leaned over to Ace. They only shrugged in response.

And so, Sensei retold the story. He told of how he listened to the winds during his meditation, and how he heard the pond waterfall grow in intensity. He told of the fight, of how he had escaped. Eventually, he got to the part where he had been distracted by snapping fireworks, or ‘snapping seeds with the spirit of a thousand dragons’, as he had called them. The only reason Sensei was alive was due to luck, as well as a bit of a gamble.

On some days, some of his most experienced ninjas may stay behind. He had no issue with this, as he trusted them and allowed them privileges that other students did not possess. They didn’t even have to say that they were staying anymore, as Sensei trusted them.

Sensei had no idea if there were ninjas at the Dojo or not. He had no way of knowing until he heard the snappers go off, where a nearby ninja would have most certainly heard. With no way to vanish or speak due to the belt, Sensei could only rely on his best hopes that a student was close.

Luck was on Sensei’s side, as two ninjas had arrived upon hearing the commotion. With too many witnesses and being in such a sticky situation, the two intruders had fled, taking the belt and the hockey stick with them.

“Thank you.” G nodded. “If it’s alright, may we go ahead and start investigating?”

“Of course, young grasshopper. I thank you for your time. I will let you know if I recall anything else,” With that, Sensei fell silent. He closed his eyes, preparing to meditate once more.

* * *

 

Jet and Rookie took the garden, while Ace and Dot looked around the inside of the Dojo. G went back and forth, occasionally going into the courtyard. G’s notepad began to fill up rather quickly, as he wrote every single detail he could find.

“Hey, Dot? You might want to see this,” Ace noted, not taking their eyes off of a specific spot on the floor. As Dot came over, they got down to take a closer look.

“Those are the snappers,” Dot was right. The tiny pieces of twisted white paper could be seen all over the floor, the contents of the fireworks spilled around from being thrown. They had left very faint, tiny scuffs on the floor that couldn’t be seen unless viewed from a close angle.

“That means they bought fireworks.. It’s April. The last fireworks were sold was back in January, right before new years. Why would anyone hold onto fireworks for that long?” Ace pondered, staring the destroyed snappers down as if they were an optical illusion.

“With what Sensei told us, they probably didn’t even buy them. They were probably stolen, I don’t doubt it. Besides, there were probably too many random vendors to find every single one and figure out who had what and what went missing. We don’t have that much time. What if they figure out we’re on their trail?”

“You’re right.. At least we have some sort of a lead.” Upon noticing that G had returned into the main room, Ace got his attention. “Hey, G? We found something,”

G waddled over, holding his notepad. After Ace and Dot shared their speculations, he flipped to an entirely new page, despite how the last one wasn’t even halfway full. He began to scribble some notes down.

“I’m going to keep this all down, but.. Something doesn’t quite add up about this,” he said, his voice as quiet and frosty as thin ice. He got closer, taking a better look at the snappers.

“We don’t know enough for anything to add up, though,” Ace commented. However, they couldn’t deny that the way G spoke gave them chills.

“You’re right, but.. Here. Wait just a moment.” G set the notepad aside. He pulled out his spy phone, opening up some notes he had saved. “That’s what I thought..”

“With all due respect, what are you on about?” Dot’s eyes thinned as she tried to figure out whatever G was rambling about.

“Look.” G turned his spy phone around, scrolling through some notes. “For the past couple years, the Director has tasked me with ensuring no illegal fireworks are sold, as well as taking inventory of every stand. This is for January, but I skimmed through seven events’ worth. Notice something?”

“You’re really bad at taking notes? That’s all I see,” Dot commented.

“Correct, but no.” He turned the phone off, putting it back in his pocket. “The only types of snappers sold were a brand that makes them with a type of thin, white paper. In fact, that’s the only kind of paper snappers have ever been made with,”

“Yeah, that’s what snappers are. With all due respect, what are you trying to get at?”

“You can see the paper on these. It’s white, so it does look quite similar at first glance. However, do you see how much thinner the paper is, around here?” Not wanting to touch the tiny explosives, he pointed with the edge of his flipper. “This isn’t the same. This is tissue paper, the kind that you might find in a present at a party. Do you know what this means?”

“You’ve got a really good idea for this kind of stuff.. But, I’m a bit lost. Not quite.” Ace looked closer. G was right, it did look a lot more like tissue paper now that they were aware of it. “That one even has a bit of glitter on it,” they pointed out.

“It means that these weren’t bought, or even stolen. These were custom made,” G began to scribble a few more notes in the notepad.

* * *

  
“You’re.. Really focused today, huh?” Jet tilted his head, a bit in awe due to Rookie’s odd motivation. He had hardly said a word, which was rather peculiar for the little green penguin.

“I don’t want to lose my focus. If I want to protect the island, this case has to be solved!!” Although Rookie’s motivation was to be admired, his strategies.. Not so much. He was currently staring into a bunch of hydrangeas, ever so gently moving the flowers apart to find the tell-tale sign that would close the case that he was sure resided somewhere in the garden.

“Ah.. Alright. Good luck over there,” Jet didn’t want to interrupt him any further, deciding to cover more ground on the other edge of the garden. Rookie’s luck was quite unpredictable. If he had a chance to find something, Jet didn’t want to ruin it.

Alone with his thoughts, Jet scanned the stepping stones that formed a path. Unable to find anything, he moved over to the small waterfall by the fountain. He got down quite low to look at it, studying the handle that adjusted the water flow.

He couldn’t lie that a lot of G’s projects made him nervous. However, the fountain was a special case. There was no chance it’d explode, and he doubted even more that it would turn by itself. Whoever the EPF was up to deal with, they were clever. Almost anyone would go outside to turn a hose or something off if it started running at random.

“Hey, uh.. JPG? I’m not sure if it’s important, but I found something,” Rookie turned back, looking at Jet from his spot by a rose bush.

“What is it?” Jet asked, standing back up and making his way over.

“Do you see that paper in there?”

“I don’t-- Oh.” Rookie was right. In the middle of the thorny bush, there was a partially crumpled up piece of paper. It looked as if it weren’t very old, the ivory tint a tell-tale sign of its youth. “Hold on, I’ll find a stick or something,”

Before Rookie could say anything, Jet had already left. He was probably going out to the courtyard, where evergreen branches were a common find. However, Rookie couldn’t take his eyes from the paper. Sensei wasn’t the type to leave paper in random places, especially anything like this.

Rookie felt an odd, sick feeling travel through him. It flickered and singed, leaving a now burning feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t tell what it came from, but he could tell exactly what it wanted him to do.

Finally, it gave itself a name. The soul-crushing feeling of jealousy, a feeling he hated with every fiber of his being, presented. He didn’t like to be jealous of his peers. In fact, he hated it. It liked to scald his mind in the darkest of times, reminding him of just how inferior he really was when compared to the skillsets of the agents around him.

 _I want to help_ , he thought. _I want to help. I want to do it. I can prove myself, I can do it._

Without second thought, Rookie plunged his flipper into the thorny rosebush, using his other flipper to push some of the bush aside. The thorns tore into him, picking at his flippers and digging into them as if they were some sort of paper. A moment’s retaliation had turned into stinging pain, which could have been prevented entirely.

The pain in his flippers wasn’t as bad as it looked, but it would certainly serve as a lifelong reminder to avoid rose bushes. However, the fact that his green feathers suddenly had blooming flowers of blood seep from between them was a sight he didn’t want to see ever again.

When the grievous, piercing sensation first plagued him, he nearly drew his flippers back from sheer instinct that had hardwired into him from many years of mistakes. However, he had decided that if he started something, he needed to finish it. He needed to prove he could retrieve the note alone. After all, he didn’t cause all of this pain for nothing.

Finally, Rookie grasped the edge of the paper. He pulled it into a sort of cone shape, careful not to let the paper suffer the same fate as his flippers. As he withdrew his flippers from the thorn bush, he moved them closer as to avoid getting any sort of blood into Sensei’s garden. The pain dulled, but it was still rather noticeable.

Unfolding the note, he began to read. He had a feeling he should wait for Jet, but his curiosity got the best of him.

“Rookie, I’m ba-- Rookie! What happened?” Jet dropped the many sticks he was holding, getting a closer look at Rookie’s flippers.

“Oh, I.. uhm.. I don’t know, I just.. Couldn’t wait?” He gave a bit of a smile. “Anyways, uuh… you’re going to want to read this,” He turned the paper towards Jet.

That was where it started. After the two skimmed over the paper, they immediately went to find the other agents. This was a big lead in the case, and they couldn’t keep it from them for too long. After all of the agents gathered to see, Ace was the one who began to read.

“You are receiving this task to test your skills. This has been suggested by the rank five, and you shall see to him should you have any questions or concerns.

Your task is to seek out target no.6 and eliminate him. With this note is a copy of his usual routine, the optimal times to attack him without witnesses being highlighted. No specific weapons or methods have been specified.

This is an assessment. Should you fail, you will not receive termination. As always, there are exceptions. You will, however, receive termination should too many witnesses appear or you give yourself or other members away.

Keep in mind that no.6 will fight back, and is not easy to win over. He is very sensitive to sound. Make of this what you will. Best of luck,” Ace read, looking up and over at Sensei, their eyes widening a tad bit. They glanced around at the other agents, waiting for a response.

“I.. I think we’re dealing with more than we initially thought.” Dot commented, when no one else spoke up. “What are we going to do?”

“We need to keep an eye out. From here on out, no one goes out alone,” G ordered, writing away on his notepad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3k words. I'm sorry for the wait, but I hope it was worth it! Anyways, this is a good 1/10 on the spice level. Things get pretty spicy later on, so buckle up.


	5. Be Resourceful, be Remarkable, be Ready.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The island has been on soft lockdown for a week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone in the mines on Rewritten for putting up with me.

For the past week, the island had been on a soft lockdown of sorts until further notice. The EPF issued notifications to every business, every location. They were warned to keep doors locked and to avoid going out alone. It’s not like fun was banned entirely, but until they could figure out just what was going on, it was best that safety measures were taken very seriously.

It seemed that G was trying his best to avoid any sort of danger. Although apologetically, he notified the Pizza Parlor staff that they were not to accept any volunteers or new employees due to the amount of makeshift weapons in the kitchen. Sports teams couldn’t accept new members, and equipment was to be locked up and hidden.

Dot, Rookie, and Jet had been on patrol for somewhere around two hours by now. In normal cases, Jet would be their eye in the sky and Rookie would be watching from below. However, in light of what they liked to call the ‘No Penguin Left Behind’ rule, Dot had decided to tag along so Rookie wasn’t alone on the ground. Jet would be alright in the sky.

They didn’t stay in one place for too long. They were ordered to have a random moving pattern, as to not allow any sort of patterns to form. They would go from the middle of the Plaza, right through the Snow Forts and Town, and end up at the Dock. They’d go right back to Town, and then to the Cove. Nonetheless, they didn’t see anything suspicious.

“I just.. I don’t get it.” Leaning against the wall of the Stadium’s ice rink, Jet pretended as if he wasn’t close to slipping. He sighed, his eyes averting to the bright, cold sky above. It was just like any other day, but everything was so out of place. “They’re so detailed that they have penguins on a number-based list. If they’re that adamant to bring everything down, why hasn’t anything happened?”

“We don’t know what we’re dealing with.” Dot reminded him. “We don’t know who or what is behind this. We don’t know what they could do or how far they are,”

“If someone that mean was less than fifth in rank, I don’t know if I’m ready to see what’s higher,” Rookie chimed in, his glasses going a tad bit askew as he put a flipper to his forehead.

“Wouldn’t that mean that the fifth isn’t as powerful? Rank schematics. We might have an easier ride, then,” Jet curled his flipper a bit, resting his chin on it as he closed his eyes to try and comprehend the note.

“No.. I don’t think so. The way it was written, the fifth was the one to ask if anyone was to have an issue. I doubt any sort of newbie would have that much knowledge or power,” Dot’s refutation certainly helped, but the air felt a bit more stuffy. The EPF was between a rock and a hard place, and it couldn’t just be ignored.

“Whatever happens, it can’t be worse than the blackout, can it?” Rookie tilted his head a bit. His eyes softened, his eyebrows growing rather wan. The dandelion blooming within the soils of uneasiness in his chest, Rookie hoping for a weed killer that he knew, deep down, may not be there.

“Let’s hope so,” Dot whispered, the sound just loud enough for both of her coworkers to hear.

* * *

 

G and Ace had been working together more than they had ever been before. With G’s intelligent mind and Ace’s little taste of everything, they had clicked together almost immediately, like they were the final pieces in a puzzle of skills and motivation. In a comfortable silence, they had been hopping back and forth between individual tasks, the communications room serving as their current workspace.

“Hey, G? I can’t read your writing, what does the fourth note down say?” Ace’s pen gave a soft _tap!_ as they set it down on the table, their slightly squeaky chair turning a bit towards G. They were writing the first draft of an image-less wanted poster for one of the assailants, G working back and forth between his job on the other poster, trying to analyze the note further, and working on some sort of electric lantern looking thing.

“Fourth down.. Ah! ‘Amagawa, a ninja present at Sensei’s attack, described the larger penguin as dark blue.’ I didn’t write it down, but the larger penguin was also described as having brown eyes,” The scratching of G’s pen paused as he thought for a moment.

“Thanks. What are you working on?” Ace continued to write, picking up their pen so quickly they didn’t even realize at first that it wasn’t clicked so that it was functional.

“A security camera. It’s supposed to look like a lantern, so it blends in with the Dojo and is rather unexpected. I’m going to bring in two other lanterns, so that it doesn’t look suspicious,” G didn’t go into detail for his plan, but Ace couldn’t exactly deny that it was smart.

“Nice. Um.. Where did I leave my spy phone..” Ace felt around their inside pocket.

“My lab. I can get it, I’ve got to go grab some more materials, anyways,” Before Ace could say anything else, G was doing his weird jog-walk-run hybrid that was a rather common sight in pressing situations. He returned holding some rather cheap looking Asian inspired paper lanterns, handing Ace their spy phone.

“Thanks. Sorry to run you like someone who gets water in some kind of sports team,” Ace gave G their casual, infectious smile.

“Ah, no worries. Way back when, that’s all I was to sports teams. I know every rule and strategy, I’m just awful at playing. Hence why I ran the sports shop rather than going out and playing, myself. I think I was a sort of secret weapon, looking back. Normally, the one who gets water is the one who just wants to have the title of being on a sports team without working. I was always bombarded with questions on what moves to make. Okay, let’s hope I don’t break anything. Or, myself,” Taking to the floor, G held a pair of scissors.

“Careful,” Ace reminded him, sending a quick message to Dot to make sure that the travelling agents were safe.

The plastic that held the cheap, fake lights in the middle of the lanterns wasn’t too strong. However, it did seem to put up quite a fight against the regular, boring old office scissors. A few loud and possibly painful snaps later, though, the paper was the only thing that remained. Repeating this process a few times, and G had a few outer shells that looked like the lanterns that Sensei would normally have in the Dojo.

Upon receiving confirmation from Dot that the group was alright and on their way to the Beach, Ace set their spy phone aside and switched tasks. Taking their turn on trying to analyze the note, they started writing on a new piece of paper.

“Sounds rather.. yell- no, kind of a.. blue that looks like the sort of weird feeling a.. A donut might leave on the back of your tongue.” Whatever G was talking about, Ace had a hard time following. However, they still nodded as if they had any sort of a clue. “You’ve got a lot to say, I’m guessing? Might I ask what it’s about?”

“Oh, I’m trying to figure out the number scale. It’s just a very, very tough thing, as we only have the number of one penguin. It can’t be the threat level unless they’re seeking out very few penguins, in which Sensei would certainly be high up. We also don’t know how many there are, or who else is on that list,” Ace scratched out a few options.

“Good thinking.” G nodded. “The quicker we figure that out, the easier it is to figure out where they may strike next, and what to do. However, if I were to write a sort of list like that, I’d write down who I’d think of first, which is usually the biggest threat,”

“So, you don’t mind if I list you as one of the likely top two?” Ace raised an eyebrow. Hey, it’s not as if they were wrong. G wasn’t a smart cookie, he was a whole genius pastry section.

“Me? Why, thank you,”

“Sure thing. It’s not everyday you receive the complement of being so smart you wind up first or second on a hit list. You should be quite accustomed to this, by now,”

“Contrary to popular belief, I don’t wind up on as many hit lists as one may be led to believe,” G gave a rather casual shrug, something that wasn’t as often seen from him.

“Oh! One last thing!”

“Yes?”

“What’s the 67th digit of pi?”

“8. Come on, I know you’ve got more difficult questions than that, Agent,”

Although they were in a tight situation at the moment, Ace couldn’t help but smile once more. The other agents they worked with were like family. The positive atmosphere was wonderful, and Ace wouldn’t have it any other way.

* * *

  
When they awoke, Ace’s first feeling was panic. Scrambling out of their bed, their heart began to race. The burning panic was as just as fresh as the fish they had for lunch, whenever that was. Their mind wasn’t working properly right now. After a short while, they didn’t exactly settle down, but they very quickly identified the source of their panic.

The screeching noise ever so similar to a siren burned their mind and hurt their head. It sounded just like a fire alarm, but the tell-tale, flickering orange luminescence was nowhere to be seen. As it always was at this time of night, Ace’s igloo was dark.

As soon as it had registered in their mind, Ace identified the source of the awful, screeching sound. Standing and walking closer to their nightstand, they looked into the bright screen of their spy phone.

EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION

Media Attached: mp4 file

Size: 127mb

1:07

Accept

Whatever the video was, there was no option to decline. It wasn’t like Ace would do such a thing, even if they were given the option. If it was so important to wake them up at-- they checked the nearest clock-- 3:27 AM, they needed to see it.

Upon accepting, they saw G’s familiar face. They came to notice rather quickly, however, that the rather bubbly and relaxed G from earlier was gone. His face was twisted into some sort of panicked manner, his glasses askew from most likely bumping into something.

“A-Agents! You need to get here ASAP. Emergency protocol, take your back way route. Do NOT engage with any other penguins, excluding agents. Whether it’s a friend, police officer, or a pizza delivery guy, you need to avoid them and get a move on. I repeat, do NOT interact with penguins who are not agents. Do not leave your route. Be prepared for anything!” With that, the video ended.

“..Huh..?” was all Ace could muster. A feeling of familiarity entangled them like a spider taking someone who dared to misstep into its clutches as they looked out of the window, seeing the dark sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	6. 4.5 - Dot's Wisteria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dot makes her way to the EPF.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last .5 for a bit!

Dot couldn’t get the haunting image of all of the red screens reflecting from G’s glasses out of her mind. She couldn’t stop thinking back to the sheer panic in his voice, the ever-so-hostile posture he put up that was so unlike him. Whatever was wrong, it was scary. All she could do was hope for the best as she made her way through the back path she had trained herself on almost religiously such a long time ago.

 

She had used this path only a few times during emergencies. However, those times were so scarce that it was usually around a year or two before she’d have to start using it again. She knew every turn and curve by heart, even in the dark. However, an odd feeling of unfamiliarity seemed to creep up her spine. Unsure of what else to do, she continued to walk.

 

The crunching of the snow from beneath her feet was a familiar sound, a sound she was ever-so-grateful for. She listened to the sounds whenever she’d run through town in races with Ace, whenever she’d dance around with Cadence. It was a noise that made her feel alive, reminded her of just how much was waiting for her. That was the reason she did what she did, the reason she put the EPF before anything else in her life.

 

Despite the rather frigid temperatures of the night, the reminder of her life both in and out of the EPF warmed her heart. It was a feeling she couldn’t quite describe. It was like a sapling had taken root inside of her, growing tall and strong from the motivation and hope she possessed.

 

One day, she knew, it would grow into the most beautiful tree. It wouldn’t be anything like the other trees on the island. She envisioned it to be a wisteria tree, the gorgeous lilac vines something she’d only seen in fairy tales when she was very young. In truth, it wasn’t a tree that would survive on Club Penguin, only being a fantasy from deep within.

 

The tree could only bloom the day that the island was truly safe, the way it was when penguins began to inhabit the area. When that day came, her garden of solace could truly be shared with everyone. For now, though, all she could do was her best.

 

Before she could think of any more of her other dreams, her thoughts were interrupted by crunching that wasn’t quite right. It wasn’t her own footsteps, but rather fast ones. Was someone on her trail? Her footprints weren’t covered up in any way.

 

Acting on impulse, she quickened her pace. She paid more attention to her peripheral vision, scanning the trees for the perfect spot. She’d be untrackable then, allowing her to find another way to the EPF HQ while alerting others of such suspicious activity.

 

She slid a bit when she stopped, her head snapping to the side when she saw the greyish-green decorated branches that she could easily climb. With a hop and a few careful steps, her footprints had seemed to stop abruptly. She had an advantage.

 

Watching from the top, she remained ever-so-still. Refusing to move a muscle, she peered from beyond the branches of the evergreen tree. It scratched at her here and there, ultimately going numb after a few minutes.

 

The other footsteps were quite fast-paced, a bit uneven. Her focus intensified as they grew a bit louder, signifying their close proximity. A clockwork habit, her flippers extended behind her head and gently grasped her hair, preparing to pull it into a ponytail.

 

_Oh. Right_. As her flippers gently met the ends, she received a reminder of the short length of the honey-hued locks. She had kept it short for years, yet it continued to feel rather alien to her. Sacrifices had to be made to be in the EPF, the loss of the length allowing the wisteria to take root.

 

Her breath hitched. She knew for sure that another penguin was in her presence somewhere, in some way. She was going to find out who, even if it was a tad bit defiant of G’s orders. If someone knew about this path, the EPF could very well crumble.

 

It was almost like her heart stopped when she spotted the dark blue feathers. She didn’t quite know what to do-- G was clearly busy, she couldn’t notify him of the suspect who was just so close. But, then again, she’d need backup. She couldn’t see a lot of the penguin beneath, but there was no way this penguin could be taken down by just one agent. If Sensei lost, Dot would lose.

 

Her flipper slowly reached for her spy phone, careful not to make a single sound. She rehearsed in her head.  _Suspect located on path 4, further directions needed. Suspect located on path 4, further directions needed. Suspect--_

 

When the penguin stopped at Dot’s footprints, she watched as they got down low. They stared the prints down, as if taking note of their presence. They stood back up straight, pausing before reaching into their own pocket. A spy phone? They had a spy phone? Dot nearly kicked herself from her own mistake.

 

“No need Ace, it’s just me.” She made her way down the tree, hopping off from a branch. “I thought you were some other penguin, sorry. Are you alright?” It’s not like Ace was hurt, but she thought she’d ask.

 

“Oh. That’s good. I forgot we had the same route.” Ace put their phone away, already continuing on the walk. They had places to be, and so did Dot. “You got it too, huh?”

 

“We all did. We aren’t too far, at least. I hope everything’s alright,”

 

“G seems like he was the only one there. I’m sure he can handle himself better, now, but we still need to get there. It’s kind of odd, but.. What do you think is going on?” As Ace spoke, Dot caught up. They turned a corner, crossing into the Dock.

 

“I don’t know.. Whatever it is, it’s not good. I hate to bring it up, but.. Even when we got orders like this around the Blackout, we weren’t told to ignore other penguins,”

 

“True, but.. Then, it was only Herbert and Klutzy. Whatever’s going on, it involves other penguins. It makes me wonder why Herbert isn’t showing his fuzzy old face, though.” Ace bit their tongue a bit, the pressure helping them think. “Oh, we’re almost there,” they whispered, the near-blinding beam of the Lighthouse beacon a landmark on their way.

 

“Yeah.. All we can do is hope, right? This is serious, but we’ll make it through. If we survived the Blackout, we’ll survive anything,” Dot offered a hopeful smile.

 

They finally made it into Ski Village, a silence forming as they walked inside of the Everyday Phoning Facility. They made their way over to the steel door, hidden from public view. They knew their fate laid beyond it.

 

“Are you ready?” Dot walked a bit closer.

 

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Ace gave a nod.

 

Holding her breath for a moment, Dot opened the door. The fate of the island relied on it, the smooth sounds of the metal sliding upwards acting as the support beams of their hope, their motivation.

 

* * *

 

“Hey.. Jet?”

 

“What’s the matter, Dot?”

 

“I was reading through the descriptions. I know it’d never be them, but.. Doesn’t the larger penguin sound a lot like Ace?”

 

“On second thought.. It does,”

 

“Do you think they’re going to be alright?”

 

“Of course,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ace sneaking up counter: 2 
> 
> Next chapter will likely be rather short, but things will get pretty wild.


	7. A Doleful Folk's Orders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> G reveals the meaning behind the alarm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a long wait just to recieve 457 words! However, I couldn't find a better way to end it that would still have the cliffhanger sort of vibe. Either way, expect the next chapter soon!

The EPF felt like it always had. The communications room was warm, Ace’s eyes moving to the ever-so-high ceilings bearing the scars of the explosion during the Blackout. The ever-so-light color difference in materials wasn’t noticeable to most penguins, but it was as clear as day to Ace, who would often find themselves staring at the ceiling.

“Oh, you’re here!” They were dragged from the force field of their mind, G spotting them and announcing their arrival. Rather than talk to them any further, G quickly locked the doors and made a run for the other side of the room, wordlessly asking to be followed. As if their body was controlled by some unstoppable force, Ace found themselves leaning into a sprint to follow the distressed scientist.

They were led into G’s lab, the messy work space littered with a bunch of papers. His writing had been so sporadic and rushed that a few times, he had torn holes right on though. They could hardly read his handwriting, although they did catch a few words. _Coffee Shop. Employees. Glass. Window._ A chill ran down their spine.

Looking up, they spotted Rookie and Jet, who had arrived earlier. They seemed to be affected by the early morning alarm as well, Rookie’s propeller cap thrown on at an odd angle and Jet’s posture rather tense. Neither one said a greeting, the closest Dot and Ace getting to one being Rookie raising his flipper a bit in a sort of half-attempted wave.

“Alright, alright.. What’s this all about?” Ace shifted their weight from one foot to the other. They crossed their arms, although they lacked the intent of disrespect. Similar to everyone else, they wanted to know what was going on. They wanted to know what was so serious that it caused all of these measures to be taken. They wanted to know who or what was in danger.

G cleared his throat, scanning the room over. Every agent present was staring, Ace just being the voice of their concerns. His posture grew rather stiff, forcing an assertive attitude. He was the one dishing out orders. He was the one to inform them of the issue. He was the one who had to be brave. For the island, he reminded himself.

“At around two, I believe, the cameras at the Coffee Shop shut down. About fifteen minutes before I sent out the video, I got a notification from the local authorities.” When no one else spoke, he continued. “There’s been a massacre at the Coffee Shop. Three employees were just killed. We’re going to the scene shortly. The entire island is on lock down,” His glasses seemed to glaze over. He had never had to deliver such somber news to any agents before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	8. Death's Lone Soliloquies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few murders can get anyone down, you know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uuuh yeet

What is the meaning of death? Is it the moment your heart ceases to a halt, the iron gates of your being coming to a close? Is it the moment you are truly all alone, led astray in a spider web of true despair? Or, is it just the moment that you stop living?

 _No_ , Ace thought. Ace was still alive, but they certainly felt as if they’d stopped living. The ever-so-intricate gears of time seemed to slow and slow, stopping. Their body cold, they stared ahead, silent. The EPF was doing so much to protect the island. How could this happen? _How could this happen?_

The rage inside them crackled and singed, the little embers of their emotions taunting them. They wanted so badly for a fire to start. The deepest desires to just snap explored the darkest depths of their mind, and they were about to break free. Ace had failed. Ace failed their duties to protect everyone, to keep everyone safe. The only one to blame was themself.

“How could this happen?!” If Ace were in the right state of mind right now, they wouldn’t have said a thing. They would have receded into their mind, trying to find a solution. They’d try to piece everything together, try to find a motive. But, that wasn’t them right now.

“Ace, we know just about as much as you do--” Among all of the mixed reactions, G was the one to try and reason with them. “There’s not too much more I know right now, and there may be more details going forward,”

“Then, what do you know?”

* * *

 

“I think we have a small outline,” G moved a coffee-stained sheet of paper to the table in the Comm room, skimming over it. His mind was still running a million miles an hour, but his writing was much more legible, now. The paper listed every detail they knew at the moment.

Sometime after the cameras shut off, the murders occured. A blunt object may have been used to gain entry, evident by the front window being smashed in. They had not received any reports of anyone getting a closer look at the employees yet, but by the brief details thew had, whatever broke the window could possibly be what killed them.

“Uhm.. what about.. What about the matches they found? Where do those come in?” Rookie was right. Matches were found right by the door.

“...Okay, back to the drawing board,” It wouldn’t be easy to figure it out with so little knowledge, but G definitely had to get that down.

“What’s our plan of action? Not to mention, what is the public going to know?” Dot had been rather quiet, her voice crackling a bit when she finally decided to speak up.

“We’re going to find what we can to lead us to a culprit. There hasn’t been a case close to anything like this one in years. Chances are, hysteria will form. However, better afraid than.. Dead. We’ll tell them that the Town’s going to be closed for a while. We can say that employees were killed, give condolences to families.. But, details are a big no. If-- no, when-- when we find the culprit, we’ll be able to say that,” G seemed to have put a lot of thought into it.

“Okay.. Who’s investigating?”

“Everyone’s going to figure out what they can, at first, and then I’ll go back to the lab.. Preferably with Rookie,”

“Why me?” Rookie tilted his head. He wasn’t going to argue in the slightest, but he felt as if he at least should know.

“We’re working on.. Something. I can’t promise anything yet, so that’s all you’ll know, at the moment.. Ah, where did I set my spy phone? It’s almost time for us to receive an update,” G looked through his pockets. It was.. Kind of funny. Someone who could plan how to solve a murder had the worst time keeping track of things.

“I think you left it in your lab,” Jet added. At least, that was the last time he saw it.

“I’ll get it!” Rookie was already out of his chair, before G could even say a word. If he was going to prove himself as an assistant, especially in times like this, he had to start somewhere. He left without another word, leaving the rest of the agents alone.

After a short moment of an awkward silence, Ace decided to speak up. After all, every moment without discussion was a moment driving them further from the murderer of these three penguins. They held their breath for the most brief of moments, furrowing their brow.

“So.. Whoever attacked Sensei is the one who did this,” They crossed their flippers.

“We don’t have a lot of evidence to suggest that, but I don’t have a doubt in my mind,” Dot inspected the feathers on her flipper.

“So, where does Herbert come in?”

“Huh?”

“He has to have something to do with it.. There’s no way he’d conveniently be this quiet, especially at a time like this,”

“I’m not so sure he’d attack any penguins like this, though,” Jet straightened his back.

“How do we know that?”

“You said it, yourself. He wouldn’t hurt penguins. Unless he suddenly changed his mind, he’s still going strong with the whole ‘vegetarian’ thing. I have a feeling that if he wanted to kill us, it’d be more than three penguins,”

“..Okay, you’re right.. But I don’t doubt that he’s somewhere in this whole mess,”

“We need to figure out that mafia.” G interrupted. “They’re more suspect than Herbert. They just surfaced not too long ago, so this is a bold move. I don’t think three random employees are significant enough to them to make it onto a target list, especially if they were picked off this easily,”

“We haven’t received any helpful reports from the public.. Should we just keep an eye out? The stage closed a bit ago so that costumes couldn’t be worn outside. I suggest we start by watching for costumes,” Dot noted.

“Good point.. But, chances are, other penguins may wear costumes just for fun. They don’t know about the dangers.. Wait, Rookie’s been gone for a bit, hasn’t he?” Jet turned his head, looking towards the door.

“He has… hold on,” G stood, going off to find him. Neither one surfaced for a few minutes, making the other agents begin to worry a tad bit. The mutual feeling seemed to numb for just a moment when they both returned, before taking a major spike upon seeing Rookie’s face.

He held onto his other flipper, not looking up. Whatever was on his mind, it wasn’t good. His eyes were forced shut, his posture tense. He seemed to be allowing G to do the talking. It couldn’t be too good, as G looked quite disturbed, as well.

“The cameras are back on,” His voice was quiet, barely above a whisper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im working on another fic during this, so the update schedule will probably be worse lmao but it's just as wild


	9. King Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evidence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> could always use a little sprinkle of club penguin OCs, you know?

Being an EPF Agent means you have to learn to stomach the worst. Although not a common task, you have to see the worst, to breathe the worst, to know the worst. You were the one to track down killers, the one to put the tape around the ashes of a building that had burned down and took some large amount of lives with it. But, it meant no one else had to.

Ace had seen bodies. It wasn’t too often that something gruesome would occur, but it happened. In most cases, they EPF would be involved when it had the attempted status. Not as many penguins would succeed, and that was a good thing. But, someone would always find a way. It was the painful truth. The EPF couldn’t save everyone. They were reminded of that when G led them into his lab.

Everyone had been wishing it wasn’t true. They wanted nothing more than for this all to be some sort of nightmare. That was the case with every mission. They wanted the EPF to be out of jobs, for them not to be needed anymore. But, that was all just some sad fantasy. Evil cannot truly be eradicated, as much as they may try.

It was worse than Ace thought, worse than they could have possibly pictured. The feeling that swept over them as they stared into the monitor was so much more than dread, so much more than pain. It was the wretched feeling of a rose bush blooming in your lungs, the thorns tearing at everything inside. Every breath was an inhalation of a desire to live, every exhale the truth of impending doom.

The three had been strewn about as if they were nothing. It was like the way that a doll would lay on the floor, alone and unloved. One was close to the window, one in the middle of the empty space by the stairs. The last was leaning against the wall behind the counter, possibly trying to hide.

Besides their untimely demise, they all had one thing in common. It looked as if each one had been the victim of a stabbing. There was no trauma to the head, disproving G’s original theory.. Each employee had clearly suffered a lot of pain, and they couldn't have done much about it. There was evidence of a struggle, many decorations being broken.

Then, Ace spotted the vase. At first, it looked like it had been another inanimate casualty, cast aside. However, a second glance seemed to open up a whole different book. The story playing out in their head changed.

“Look at that,” They moved a bit, pointing at the vase. They forced a brave posture, a strong attitude. It was a facade they used to defend the fear they felt, a mask that would never reveal the true identity.

“It’s just a vase.. Are you sure there aren’t other things we should be paying attention to?” Dot was quite bewildered. How could they ignore the bodies like that?

“No, look at it.. It’s got blood on it, sure, but.. Do you see that color, right there?” They moved their flipper a bit more, hoping everyone else could detect what they did.

The vase was a dark, olive green. It had a bit of brown spots on it, likely dirt from being used to hold a plant. The bottom was shattered, and it looked as if it wasn’t spared from the bloodshed, either. However, the thing that caught Ace’s eye was what looked to be a white spot.

“See that?” Ace looked at the other agents, waiting for their responses.

“..What is that?” Rookie stood more on the front of his feet, trying to stand taller to see.

“Feathers. Those are feathers,” Jet commented, leaning back and crossing his arms. The vase was entirely green, no patterns or decorations. The white was an outcast, yet it wasn’t such an intrusion that it was noticeable at first glance. They’d have to look more into it.

“I think we’ve found our weapon. It looks like it’s been tossed, and it’s not too far from the bodies.” Gary crossed his flippers. “It’s unique. From what we know, these penguins like to be unique,”

“Nice catch,” Dot’s shoulders relaxed, but she was far from actual relief. However, they had so much more to go off of. They were all afraid, but a feeling of hope began to blossom. Unfortunately, that same hope was the one that a specific penguin wanted to crush.

* * *

 

“Why are you being so _reckless?_ We’ve been so secret for so long. You event went and yelled at #3 just a week ago over leaving evidence!” The shorter penguin had a frustrated glint in his eyes, supporting himself by putting both of his flippers on the desk in front of him. On the other side, the other penguin smiled.

“Indeed, I did! But, it’s all for a reason. Lighten up!” He gave a rather casual shrug.

“How are you so calm? Our lives are on the line. You’re putting everyone-- no, _everything_ in danger! Are we just pawns to you?”

“No, you aren’t pawns.” The larger penguin put his flipper on the bandana that he wore around his neck, as if he were about to pull it over his face. “But.. The EPF members are!”

“You’ve really lost it, huh?”

“So _what_ if Man Eater left a note?”

“You’re bad at this. The EPF is on our trail!”

“That’s the point, Cards.” The larger penguin leaned back in his chair. He seemed oddly overjoyed, something that was rather unordinary for his usual demeanor. “There’s no better time than now to take them out!”

“Don’t call me that. Fine, you make a good point. But, when this ultimately fails and you get killed, it’s not my fault. Okay?”

“I never said it would be..?”

* * *

 

The first look at a crime scene was always the worst. Ace was reminded of this when Rookie quite literally had to run right back outside upon entering. The second time he came in, he looked rather queasy. Ace decided to stick with him, just to be safe.

“We don’t have to look at the bodies, right now,” Ace gently put a flipper on his shoulder, turning him a bit. Rookie always reacted the worst to blood, so it would certainly improve his focus to investigate something else.

“What else is there..?” Rookie decided to take them up with that offer, his voice a bit static-like due to having been so quiet. He knew that he’d eventually have to get close to the victims, but he was going to let Gary and Dot work on that. Jet was surveying from above, keeping an eye on the island to watch for suspicious activity.

“Well.. We need to go around the outside. There’s also the Book Room and the room for employees,”

“But, we aren’t employees. How do we get in?” Rookie did his trademark head tilt, Ace giving a little bit of a sigh that they quickly regretted.

“The door is unlocked. It’s alright, just this once. Okay?” They flashed a smile. It was Rookie’s only hope for any sort of solace, a much-appreciated gesture.

“Should we start there?”

* * *

 

The employees only room wasn’t as cool and secretive as it seemed. It doubled as storage, many boxes just lying around. There were a few plants, and even an extra coffee machine. It was pretty full, but rather cute nonetheless. Also, it smelled quite good. Then again, the Coffee Shop always smelled good, even if there were three bodies.

“Alright.. You take the left, I’ll take the right. Let me know if you need help, okay?” Ace began to make their way to their side.

“Alrighty! So, uhm.. What should I look for?”

“Feathers are a good one, but lots of employees have been through here. We can’t rule out anything, but we also can’t assume every feather we might find is immediately going to lead us to a killer,”

“Okay.. Thank you! So, we’re looking for a dark blue penguin, a light blue one, and a white one! Right?”

“Not exactly,”

“Huh?” Rookie tilted his head a bit. He’d already moved to stand on a box, but his current efforts had been fruitless. “What do you mean?”

“We can’t exactly pinpoint a white penguin. Have you caught why?” Answers were needed, right now. However, it wouldn’t hurt to help Rookie with figuring things out. Right now, they needed all of the help they could get.

“No..? We found white feathers, though.” Rookie furrowed his brow, confused. “You’ve lost me,”

“Belly feathers. That’s the worst part about finding white feathers. They could be from anyone. White penguins are just fully white,” Ace couldn’t believe how much they sounded like a grandparent retelling old stories from, like, sixty years ago.

“Oh.. that makes sense!” Rookie’s face seemed to light up in the way it always had when he figured something out. “But.. isn’t there, like.. A slight yellowish tone in white penguins?”

“Ooh, good catch! But.. I think it’s different every time. A majority, if they have a tad bit of color, are a slight yellow. I’ve seen slight blues, and even some slight pinkish whites. However, fully white penguins do exist. They aren’t too rare, actually. It’s quite interesting. Maybe, after we figure all of this out, we should ask G,” Ace gave an encouraging smile.

“Yeah! That sounds cool!” Rookie couldn’t help the fear he felt, in this situation. However, with the knowledge that he wasn’t alone in it, he couldn’t help but return the smile. He looked up to Ace quite a lot, enjoying being around the casual penguin. A mask of energy temporarily extinguishing the frightening, sickening feeling that was churning inside. Thus, he continued to search.

Ace and Rookie seemed to lose track of time. By the time Rookie had looked at a clock, they realized that it had nearly been an hour. They decided to put the employees only room on the backburner, deciding to check on the other agents.

Gary had confirmed that the cause of death for all three employees was, in fact, a stabbing. They had other injuries, but the trauma from their wounds was what got to them in the end. He also looked over the vase, finding he was unable to confirm whether or not the feathers were from a white penguin. However, he was sure that the vase had something to do with the murders.

Dot had been setting up crime scene tape. This time around, she was the one to draw the chalk outlines. The last time that was needed was about a year and a half ago, and Ace had taken it up. It wasn’t fun, but neither was investigating a dead body. It all would pay off after justice was served, though.

“Has anyone checked out the Book Room, yet?” Ace put all of their trust into their flipper, holding onto the rail of the stairwell and leaning back.

“Uh.. Negative on that one,” Dot didn’t look up from the outline she was drawing.

“Alrighty.. Rookie, do you wanna check it out?” They turned their head.

“Uh.. yeah,” He nodded.

“Okay,” Ace agreed, flicking on the light switch as they led the way. They didn’t really know what to expect, but they hoped that there would be at least some sort of lead.

“Woah..” When they both arrived at the top, Rookie turned on his foot. “This place is a mess!”

He wasn’t wrong, either. It wasn’t terrible, but it was noticeable. Books had been knocked from the shelf, a few lamps knocked over. The floor was scratched up from a couch being dragged. Thankfully, no blood or bodies were visible. However, a struggle had obviously taken place, here.

“It looks like the shelf was pushed, but.. Why?” Ace walked closer, kneeling down a bit.

“Look!” Ace followed Rookie’s flipper as he pointed, meeting eyes with the hot topic.

The thing with the shelf is that it was designed for large amounts of storage. It had two cabinets on the left and right sides. Right now, they were staring at the left one, and the door looked awful. It was all sorts of scratched up, looking like someone had tried to break in. The lock had taken quite a beating, as it was now so flimsy it looked as if it’d fall off at any second. Ace glanced over at Rookie, waiting to see how his face would change.

“What did they want?” Rookie had asked. It was a question Ace hadn’t pondered quite yet. “Whatever’s in here, they really, really wanted it..”

“I don’t know.. Should we open it?”

“..Yeah,” Rookie stood, wordlessly allowing Ace to do the honors.

“Okay.. Here we go,” Ace gently pulled on the handle, the lock immediately popping a bit. They didn’t force the door open, as it gently followed their flipper with ease. They were just about to pull it enough so they could start getting a glimpse of what was inside when it.. Shut.

It wasn’t anything to do with the hinges, and Ace certainly didn’t just push it back. Startled by the sound, they removed their flipper from the handle, looking up at Rookie.

“What was that all about?” They asked, about to move to open it again.

“I don’t know,” He seemed to be just as on edge as they were.

A bit more comfortable in the mutual unease, Ace reached back to the handle. They held on a bit tighter, yet their pull was just as gentle as before. And, just as they barely heard the weak creak of the hinges, it began to struggle.

In a sudden act of defiance, they pulled harder. They seemed to be winning, the door slowly giving way. And, just as easily as they had pulled at first, it seemed to give up. Ace felt the door resist upon being forced open all of the way, and their many questions were answered upon seeing what was inside.

Eyes met.. Eyes. They were icy, aggressive. They were the saddest eyes Ace had seen. They immediately understood, a movie playing out in their mind. The eyes were afraid.

“..Ah..uhm..” Ace didn’t quite know what else to say. Their protective instincts had already kicked in. They didn’t know the penguin who had been forced into the cabinet, but they extended a flipper.

They didn’t expect a warm welcome. The other penguin tried to pull away, only to slide out further due to the small space. The damage that had blossomed didn’t look as if it could be mended that easily.

Rookie quickly got down to the floor, and Ace moved aside a bit. Rookie was so sweet and social, it’d be easier to allow him to help out.

“Hey, there.. We aren’t gonna hurt you!” He seemed to put out his flipper a little too quickly, as the other penguin flinched.

“Get away!” She seemed to hiss, and Ace’s heart broke further. Her voice was so young, so sweet. She couldn’t be any older than Rookie. She was so young, and she’d had some unwanted front row tickets to whatever had gone down.

“Here, uhm..” Rookie sat up. “What’s.. What’s your name?”

“Why do you need to know?”

“Just because I want to meet you! But, if you don’t wanna say, that’s alright..”

“I..” The other penguin had opened her mouth to say something, quickly shutting up for a moment. She stared them down, noting everything. She was too afraid to do anything else. “I’m.. uhm..”

“Here, uh-- I’m Rookie! At least, that’s my agent name. If you don’t want to say your real name, I can give you an agent name!”

“Agent..name..?”

“Yeah!! I can’t really see you, but.. Off the bat, you kind of make me think of, well.. A ladybug! I’ve never seen one, though.. They don’t really live here, you know? But, I’ve been showed pictures! Have you seen one?” As Rookie continued, Ace just listened. They didn’t move, not wanting to upset their witness any further. Rookie’s methods were quite intriguing, and Ace continued to listen.

“A ladybug..? What’s that?” She seemed to soften, just before growing aggressive once more. “No! Go away!”

“Please, just.. Take a breath. We aren’t going to hurt you, okay?”

“How am I supposed to believe that?” She tried her best to get farther away, her movements limited by the small space.

“We aren’t mean, I promise! We’re a part of the EPF!” He quickly pulled out his spy phone, showing her the logo. Watching the stranger relax a bit, Rookie put it back.

“What about you?” Ace didn’t see it right away, but they could feel her icy eyes on on them. After all, they hadn’t really proved themselves, yet.

“I’m in the EPF, too. Call me Ace. I don’t mean to be pushy, but aren’t you ready to come out?” They extended their flipper once more. They regretted going so fast, but it was too late, now. They knew that she had witnessed whatever went down on the first floor, and they had to get her out.

Her eyes fluttered down to their flipper, returning right back to Ace’s eyes. She was trying to figure them out, they could tell. Every move they made was being judged. Was the illusion of safety just a fleeting dream? Three penguins were dead, and she didn’t want to be the fourth.

But, what would become of her if she stayed within the little safe haven? The crammed cabinet couldn’t protect her, forever. If these penguins wanted to hurt her, she’d be dead, already. Her breath hitched, eyeing the room around her. Her left flipper twitched a bit, a movement caught by Ace. If she was going to start swinging, it’d be with that flipper.

That also meant she’d run to the right if they moved too fast. She wasn’t a huge penguin, probably about the size of Gary. She could fit in that cabinet enough to hide her, although she was incredibly uncomfortable and hardly able to move. If they had to, Ace felt as if they could catch up pretty quickly.

While studying the cabinet, Ace felt something touch their flipper. They looked down, spotting the grey flipper. At first, they thought that she was a black penguin, but the shadows within the cabinet seemed to hide it. Interesting. The only other grey penguin they had ever seen was Sensei. She was a paler grey, but still an interesting color.

They returned their focus. Right, she accepted their help. Careful not to pull too hard, Ace moved back and gently led her out. Rookie moved aside, watching. When she was out, he stood up straight.

“I’m going to get the other agents, alright?” His voice was gentle. “They’re nice, don’t worry!”

“How many are there..?” She was visibly nervous.

“Three, but only two are here--”

“Please just bring one!” She quickly covered her mouth. “I- uhm.. I’m sorry..”

“Nonono, it’s alright! Got it! I’ll bring Dot. Be back in a few,” With that, Rookie took off. Ace felt quite a bit of pressure being left alone with her.

“So..uhm.. Just so it’s established, what do you want us to call you?” They leaned back a bit, trying to establish more of a casual atmosphere. However, they didn’t miss their chance to take a few quick glances at her to ensure she was doing alright.

She, unfortunately, had injuries. They weren’t so bad that she was dying, but they definitely noticed how she restricted her own movements to avoid any more pain. They couldn’t see them too well through the ruffling of her feathers, but the blood was noticeable.

They also formed a rough description. Chances are, they’d need it somewhere down the line. Her hair was also grey, but more of an ashy color. It wasn’t very long around the back, cut in a sort of fairy bob. However, the frontmost parts were longer. She was also wearing a raincoat, even if it hadn’t been rainy in quite some time. It was a dark gradient, looking to be of a finer brand. At least, until whoever had attacked her got to it. Some parts were quite literally ripped to shreds.

“Uh..” She took a breath, falling silent for a moment. “Gabbie. Please, call me Gabbie, Ace,”

“Gabbie? That’s a nice name. It’s nice to meet you,” Ace smiled, hoping it would help calm her down a bit. Of course, they knew that it couldn’t exactly be fixed, but they’d try. They looked her over once more. “When the other agents are up here, I’ll get a first aid kit, okay?”

“No!” She froze up again. “I’m sorry, I just.. Please don’t leave. Please,” Ace felt the same feeling that wreaked havoc on their heart when they first saw her eyes. Gabbie was afraid, and Ace didn’t want her to feel worse.

“Alright.. Everyone has to see you eventually, so I’ll ask Gary to bring one up. He’s better with this than I am, I’m sure.. But, how much does it hurt? It doesn’t look like you’re bleeding as much, so that’s good,” They gestured towards the worst looking cut, the one on her shoulder.

“They don’t hurt!” She quickly covered it with her flipper, as if that would make it go away. “It’s fine, I promise!”

“Gabbie..”

“..Okay.. It’s not that bad, I just- It hurts, okay? It hurts really bad,” Her eyes seemed to grow dull for a moment as she gave in.

“Alright.. Thank you for being honest,” They made a mental note. They’d definitely make sure that the first thing was getting bandages on her. In the meantime, though, their only goal was to make sure to keep her comfortable. Ace couldn’t imagine being in her shoes, not at all. They didn't want to, even though they were supposed to.

* * *

"I wonder how far they've gotten..?" The penguin with the bandana looked out of the window, looking at the sunrise.

"How much did you do, in the first place?" The other penguin adjusted the sleeves of his cardigan. They had settled the issues from before, although the couldn't help the unsettling feeling that creeped up his spine. 

"Well, we did kill three penguins, but at least it's not the five we were going to," He was rather casual about it.

"Three? You're out of your mind. And, you took the bottom two with you, right? How much evidence..?" 

"Cleaned it up, don't worry,"

"Okay.." The penguin in the cardigan sighed. He moved his checkers piece, hopping over three other pieces and landing just where he wanted.

"Huh? How did you--"

"King me," he said, leaning back in his chair. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeet skeet, more of a connective chapter tbh


End file.
